Victoria Falls National Park: rainforest, fees and hours

Victoria Falls Main Entrance

Photo: Google Maps

Type

Heritage preservation

Address

3RGW+2VR, Victoria Falls

Area

Zimbabwe side of the falls

Entry fee

Since February 2026, international day visitors pay US$58 to enter the Victoria Falls Rainforest through the main gate.³

Google rating

4.5 (97 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026

On the map

Open in Google Maps

Opening hours on Google Maps, checked October 2026

Day	Hours
Monday	06:00–18:00
Tuesday	06:00–18:00
Wednesday	06:00–18:00
Thursday	06:00–18:00
Friday	06:00–18:00
Saturday	06:00–18:00
Sunday	06:00–18:00

Inside the rainforest: the falls, trees and wildlife

The rainforest walk is all about the view across to Victoria Falls, where the Zambezi River tips over a basalt plateau⁴ into the gorge. The falls are 108 metres high and stretch 1,708 metres⁵ across.

Travel Butlers, a tour company, reckons you can see 75%⁶ of the falls from the Zimbabwe side. The falls have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989⁵.

The spray is what keeps the Victoria Falls Rainforest green. ZimParks lists what lives there:

• Ferns, palms, liana vines and mahogany² trees
• Animals: mainly baboons, warthogs and monkeys²
• A leopard, seen only very occasionally²

Opening hours and entry fees

The Rainforest gate opens every day, 06:00–18:00⁷ (checked October 2026), and the park is open all year¹. Since February 2026, international day visitors pay US$58³ (checked October 2026) at the main gate.

For every rate side by side, see Zimbabwe park fees by visitor type.

The Zambian half of the falls sits in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, in Zambia⁸, with its own admission fee. For the town on that bank, there’s more on Livingstone.

When is the best time to visit the rainforest?

For the most water, go in the rainy season, November to March¹; Wild Horizons calls April¹⁰ the month the falls are at their most spectacular. The catch is that high-water spray can hide the view¹.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

What the seasons mean on the paths:

• In April¹⁰, heavy mist can hide some viewpoints. Expect to get wet.
• In the dry season, April to October, the water drops, and by October¹ the falls may be just a trickle.
• The rains start in November¹, but Wild Horizons says the Zambezi is at its lowest that month and the Zambian side can shrink to a trickle¹⁰.
• Travel Butlers says the Zimbabwe side never dries up completely⁶, even in the driest weeks.

How do you get to the Rainforest entrance from town?

Most visitors walk or take a short transfer: the town sits immediately next to the falls, and most places are no more than 3 km¹ away. The Rainforest gate is right next to the Zimbabwe border post¹.

Ilala Lodge Hotel, in the heart of Victoria Falls town, says it’s an 8-minute walk¹¹ from the falls. Other starting points:

Starting point	Distance or walk
Victoria Falls Rest Camp	1.5 km12 to the main entrance
The Victoria Falls Hotel	10-minute walk13 along its private pathway
Victoria Falls Airport	18 km south of town14

No car and no wish to walk? Wild Horizons runs a 2-hour guided Tour of the Falls on the Zimbabwe side, with hotel transfers and raincoats¹⁶ included. For where everything sits in town, see the Victoria Falls town page.

Who the rainforest walk suits

Wild Horizons says its falls tour suits all ages and fitness levels¹⁶, with well-maintained pathways and viewing platforms. What to bring:

• Hiking or walking shoes, binoculars, a camera and a wildlife book or app², as ZimParks suggests
• Sun-protective clothing, plus warm layers in winter (April to August¹⁶), as Wild Horizons advises

Nearby: Zambezi National Park, the bridge and the Big Tree

You can pair the rainforest with a few places close to town:

• Zambezi National Park lies upstream from Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River¹⁷, a five-minute drive¹⁸ from town. On calm stretches of the river, hippos and Nile crocodiles are abundant¹⁹. See game drives in Zambezi National Park.
• Victoria Falls Bridge is a steel arch with a view of the falls from its centre¹. Read up on walking out onto the Victoria Falls Bridge.
• The Big Tree is a baobab estimated to be 2000 years old¹; Wild Horizons’ falls tour may stop there for photos¹⁶.
• The David Livingstone statue stands on the Zimbabwean side²⁰ of the falls.

The game drive below picks you up from your hotel and heads into Zambezi National Park.

Day tour · 3 hours

Game Drive -Victoria Falls, Zambezi National Park

4.3 (12 reviews) on GetYourGuide, checked October 2026

Free cancellation · Pickup included

FromUS$88

See dates on GetYourGuide

Many visitors also take a day trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana²¹. There’s a day-by-day Chobe day trip plan, or you can book a Chobe day trip with lunch. For the rest of the area, browse the things to do details.

Questions people ask